


Sunshine for Flowers

by orphan_account



Series: Tales from the TribeTwelve Flower Shop [3]
Category: Tribe Twelve
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21700015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Noah drinks on the kerb, and makes a decision he thinks he'll regret; to go and visit the Kevins.for my noah's birthday <3
Relationships: Kevin Haas | The Observer/Noah Maxwell
Series: Tales from the TribeTwelve Flower Shop [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1562272
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Sunshine for Flowers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheRealJesseMcCree](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealJesseMcCree/gifts).



> The Kevins are Observer and Kevin, almost identical but entirely unrelated, who met in college and own a tattoo parlour together.

He didn't like drinking in the house anymore. It wasn't just his house, and he was afraid of Milo seeing him- not afraid he'd be angry, no, afraid and ashamed of that sad pitied look on his face, afraid of the twisting turning guilt Milo would feel. Because Milo was good. Better than him, that's for sure, Noah thought bitterly. So he sat on the kerb outside his shop to drink himself into a stupor. 

That particular night, it was cold out. Noah wasn't shivering though, he was too far gone at that point. He'd emptied the bottle, barely feeling the burn at the back of his throat, and sat with his feet in the gutter ('How terribly fitting' he'd muttered to himself when he sat down) contemplating getting something else to drink. Noah glanced across the street to the tattoo parlour. Above the shop, the windows were lighted and he could see the silhouettes of two men. Laughing? Talking? He couldn't tell from down here, but he knew who it was; Kevin and Kevin. He'd go and see them, he decided, not entirely clear on what for, but then (as he stood up, the world swimming in a blurry haze) not much was clear right then.

They were stood by the window, staring at the wall of board games. Obs (an affectionate nickname for Kevin from their time at college, though they had since forgotten the story) was competitive, and Kevin happily played, pretending he didnt know that he cheated. They laughed together, Kevin cradling a mug of tea to his chest, until a long press on the doorbell downstairs startled them both. Obs glanced at the dark, empty street through the window and frowned slightly, going to get the door while Kevin stood stock-still, on the edge of being afraid. Their community was small and quiet, and they didn't tend to get unannounced visitors. When Obs answered the door, it certainly wasnt what he expected. 

Noah, leaning against the door for support, fell into Obs as the door opened, smiling at him a little sloppily- and terribly unconvincingly.  
"Obsy.."   
He sighed. "Noah... what the fuck are you doing here?"   
Noah frowned deeply, seemingly lost in thought.   
"Fuckin... dont know what I 'spected. Course don't want me here." He muttered below his breath, words slipping and sliding together, chest beginning to heave a little, trying pitifully to shove himself off Obs, hearing Kevin call out for him upstairs.   
"Kevin? Obs? Who is it?"   
Noah's movements were badly aimed and grew ever weaker as his shoulders shook and he tried to hold back the tears that threatened to stream down his face. Obs sighed, catching Noah's sticky hands in his own and pulling him in to lean against him.   
"Its Noah, Kev."  
"Oh!" Kevin's voice was bright and warm. "Bring him up then!" Noah had descended into messy sobs, leaning against his hands held in Obs', allowing himself to be easily led. 

Kevin immediately rushed to Noah as he appeared through the doorway of their living room, going to put a tentative hand on his shoulder. In the full light of the room, he looked worse than he did in the porch. He was shivering from the cold, though he hadnt noticed, and his forearms were scraped and a little muddy. His thin t-shirt was covered in a mixture of drink (exactly what, Kevin couldnt discern, the smell burnt at his nostrils) and soil, somehow, and his trousers were damp and dirtied from the gutter. Noah's hands, as Obs held them, were sticky with what he could only assume was alcohol, so were his forearms.  
"Noah... oh god, what happened?"   
Obs' face was creased with concern. "He's drunk." Kevin's face fell a little, but Noah couldn't see him clear enough to see, to be hurt by it.   
"Oh poor dear.."   
"I've seen him before, outside on the kerb, but..it never seemed right to intervene." Obs was holding Noah up now, his sobs leaving him weaker than he already was, and Kevin tenderly cupped Noah's face in his hand.   
"Lets sit him down Obs, we can take care of him, can't we?"   
"Course. I..want to take care of him." Had he not been so concerned, Obs would have grimaced at the softness in his tone. He and Kevin each took a side and awkwardly manoeuvred him to the sofa, sitting down next to him. It was a tight squeeze for them, and Noah's sobs subsided a little, grabbing ineffectually in the vague direction of their hands. Kevin took his hand, unpleasant as it felt, and soothed him with gentle words.   
"Its okay Noah, we've got you." His breathing slowed, and Kevin murmured gently encouraging words, Obs' arm strong and firm holding him safe around his waist, until they were nothing more than gentle hiccups.  
"That's it baby, that's it, there we go." Obs raised his eyebrows a little at the term of endearment. "What! hes.. im... i just wanted..i..he thought..we..i.." Kevin flushed and hissed a stuttering non-sentence at Obs, who simply smiled at him knowingly.   
"Shall we get your hands all cleaned off for you darling?" Kev began to let go and Noah let out a small whine. "Obsy is gonna stay with you and get you nice and warm, while I go and get some baby wipes." Noah leaned back into Obs' chest as Kevin walked off, enjoying his warmth and clinging to him a little. With the little movement he had available to him, what with the dead weight of a still sniffling Noah, he brought folded blankets from the floor of the sofa (velvety soft, and a gorgeous dark blue colour) to cover Noah in, one draped over his head and back and the other his lap.   
"There." Muttered Obs. "Now you look as soft as you are." The situation was serious, but he could not help a small smile. 

Kevin walked back over with a small pack of baby wipes and a tall glass of water, setting the glass down on the floor next to him and kneeling by Noah's feet.   
"There we are sweetheart! Can you give me your hand?" Kevin's voice was patient and gentle, just light enough for Noah to be able to listen and respond. He unclenched his fist from where it had found itself, around Obs' shirt, and gave it to Kevin. "Stretch it out for me, like a starfish!" Noah complied, and Kevin smiled, gently cleaning from his hand the sticky residue. "And now the other one please?" Noah returned the clean hand to holding Obs, or at least he tried to. He moved slowly and clumsily, and couldn't quite find purchase on Obs' chest. Once both hands were clean, Kevin held onto one, a little mesmerised by how soft Noah's hand felt now. 

Obs leant forward to get the glass of water. "C'mon sunshine, drink up."  
"M..m not...mm..not sunshine." Noah mumbled, trying to take the glass and not quite managing to hold onto it tight enough, meaning that Obs steadied it for him while Kevin knelt still at Noah's feet. He drank in long gulps, not questioning them or forcing them off him as he usually did.   
"Hey now, how do you feel?" Kevin asked, a reassuring hand on Noah's knee. Noah frowned.  
"Fuzzy.."  
"He should have something to eat." Obs directed the comment at Kevin over the top of Noah's blanketed head. "Alright sunshine, what do you fancy?"  
Noah blinked, wide eyed and a little confused. "F..food?" Kevin sighed a little and smiled.   
"Okay dear, I'll go make you some food." He walked off once more, leaving Obs to pull the blankets tighter around Noah, hold him more securely to his side. 

When Kevin came back in carrying a plate of grilled cheese and another large glass of water, he saw Noah's head tucked neatly under Obs', and the content look on his old friend's face, and smiled.   
"Hi lovely, how does grilled cheese sound?"   
With a small squeak as Obs moved under him, Noah sat up and nodded, taking the plate from Kevin, who sat back on the floor again, eating the toasted sandwich and looking between the two men who watched him with soft, worried eyes. Wordlessly, he took the water again and quickly downed.   
"Not so fast sunshine..." Obs muttered, concerned about it all coming back up again, but Noah had of course already drunk the whole glass.   
"How does that feel, Noah?" Kevin sat up next to him. "Are you warm enough? Do you want anything?" He took Noah's hand again, squeezing it slightly for comfort. 

As the fuzziness faded, so too did his blackened mood come back, and with the utter exhaustion and vulnerability of them seeing like this (he did not bear to think of that quite yet) , all he could do was cry. "M so fuckin useless... worthless n empty..n... shit, im...so sorry." Noah sobbed into the space between them, not wanting to cry on Obs or Kevin. Obs squeezed his shoulder.   
"Hey now sunshine. You know that lovely flower shop of yours across the way? The one that brings such joy? Needs you. Flowers need sunshine." What he left unspoken was the myriad reasons Noah wasnt wortnless or empty, something Kevin felt when he met Ob's eyes.   
Kevin gently took a tissue and wiped away Noah's tears, and he stopped crying out of confusion.   
"No need to be ashamed sweetheart. We want to take care of you." Noah began to protest and make a disbelieving noise, but Obs cut across him.   
"We want to care for you." And between that, the warmth of them surrounding him, and the weight of what they had just done for him so simply and easily, he began to cry again, hiding his face in Kevin's chest and shaking as they held him. Kevin made eye contact with Obs.  
"I promise, if you ever need us to help you... like this or otherwise, we will always take care of you." Kevin spoke firmly but gently, with a small noise of agreement sounding from Obs.   
"Really?" A muffled sound came from somewhere in Kevin's chest.  
"Yes lovely, really."  
"Yes, really."  
And somewhere, Noah smiled.


End file.
